The Top Tools, Tips, and Technology To Save Money in 2019
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One of the first steps of securing your future is to save money. When you save money you can get out of debt faster, invest for your future, gain the flexibility and options to do what you want and perhaps one day have enough saved to be able to retire. Instead of burying your head in the sand, first, recognize that you aren’t alone and you might be surprised at where you stack up among your peers when it comes to saving money and net worth. Once you realize you aren’t alone – the path to financial independence becomes much clearer.
One of the fastest ways to reach financial independence is by saving as much as you can of what you earn as possible. By setting aggressive savings goals you'll then have the funds to invest more and begin experiencing the 8th wonder of the World Compound Interest!
Never before has it been as easy to save money thanks to the growth of financial technology in the last few years. The trouble of course is knowing where and how to find money saving opportunities. This guide should help to solve that!
Please note: this article will be updated as new products come online. I have purposely left off the list items that I felt were not worth the time, money, or hassle. After all, time is money!
Saving money can come in many forms. Below you will find how you can…
Contents
Save Money Getting Free Stuff
Audiobooks, movies, music, and ebooks.
Your local public library is a free resource that can easily be forgotten…this is especially true since we all have smartphones in our pocket. However, our smartphones require apps and subscriptions in order to listen to an audiobook, movie, music or read an ebook. Now you can combine the power of your smartphone, tablet, or computer into the power of a free resource with the Hoopla Digital app! This app only requires that you have a library card in order to access its content for free. Another app with similar offerings is Overdrive.
WalMart has a website that will send you free samples periodically throughout the year. All you need to do is pay $5 for shipping.
Another great article which lists a number of ways to get paid to test and keep free products comes from the website BirdsOfAFire.
Membership Sites To Save Money
AARP – Did you know that you are able to become a member of AARP at any age? Okay, stick with me here! As a 35-year-old, I was able to join AARP for just $12 for the year. I was also able to sign up CafeCareerCoach for the same $12 at the same time! Believe me…she was thrilled! : ) I discovered an article last year which described the two types of AARP memberships. One “regular” $16 annual membership for those over the age of 50. And an associate membership for everyone else for $12. So what’s the difference between the two memberships when it comes to money saving perks like travel, restaurants, and so much more? Nothing! They are the same! The only exception is that for those under the age of 50 you save $4 on the annual membership. Now you can’t say that AARP doesn’t look out for young people! To sign up visit THIS link.
AAA – You might only associate AAA with roadside assistance but the truth is you can save in a number of areas with a AAA membership.
Save Money On Recurring Bills
Recurring monthly and annual bills have become something we all just live with and expect. It’s easy to get lulled into just paying the same or more each and every month for the same service. The reason for this is because you might not be aware that other – cheaper options – exist or that you just don’t have the time to hassle or negotiate with current providers.
Thanks to the internet and a number of new financial technology companies you no longer have these two excuses.
Save Money On Internet, Television and Cell Phone
The website Whistleout allows you to directly compare rates across all internet, television and cell phone service providers. Think of it like the Kayak, or Expedia for travel but with Whistleout you can view saving options across these vital services we rely on every day. When it comes to saving money one of the first places most of us naturally want to look toward is on these monthly recurring bills which always seem to creep up and get more expensive each and every year.
Save Money on Cell Phone Bill
Isn’t it frustrating that each and every month you pay the same amount for your cell phone bill even though some months you use fewer minutes and data than previous months? With Ting, you only pay for what you use. Another similar service to check out is FreedomPop.
Negotiate Your Bills & Subscriptions On Your Behalf
Billfixers is a free service which only keeps 50% of what they save you for the first year. They have a nice interface and all you need to do is create an account and upload a copy of your latest bill you would like them to negotiate for you on your behalf.
Truebill is a service that notifies you of ongoing subscriptions that you might have forgotten about. It does this by connecting to your bank and credit card. Truebill shows your recurring bills, recent transactions, as well as ways to save. Truebill is currently offering a $4.99 per month premium option. The best feature of the premium option automatically takes care of canceling unwanted subscriptions on your behalf. Saving money has never been this easy!
Trim is another service that helps you save on bills and recurring charges. After you create your account on Trim you can securely log in to common subscriptions (Think Comcast, AT&T) where Trim automatically begins working on your behalf by taking advantage of “discretionary credits, discounts, and promotional offers without modifying your plan or service level.” If Trim is able to reduce your bill they charge 25% of what you save on an annualized basis. Trim just recently incorporated a budgeting tool and has a peer comparison tool that is currently in beta that will show the spending habits of people similar to you.
Billshark is a similar service to Trim. They negotiate Internet, Wireless, CableTV and Home Security Bills on your behalf. After you create an account you upload a copy of your bill and they do the rest for you. When it comes to saving money let the sharks take care if it for you!
Clarity Money goes beyond simply watching your subscriptions. They write on their site “we believe in transparency and the power of technology to improve people’s lives. We built a system that analyzes your specific financial situation and works to improve it.” Just recently Clarity was acquired by Goldman Sachs.
Save Up For Anything You Want
iSow: One of the best lessons you can teach a child or teen is how to work and save for something that they want. The website iSow calls itself the “future of gift-giving” With iSow you create a profile which where you can list goals or items that you are saving toward. This profile can then be shared with those that can help you toward your goal.
Qapital is an automated savings app which lets you set up savings goals. When you set up a goal you have the option to:
- Do Something
- Go Somewhere
- Get Something
- Pay Off Debts
- Just Start Saving
Once you make a selection it asks you how do you want to save. The first option is using the Round-Up Rule which rounds up to the $1.00 when you swipe your card. You can also:
- Set & Forget Rule: Set daily, weekly or monthly deposits to make savings automatic.
- Payday Rule: Pay yourself first. Save a percentage each time you get paid.
- Guilty Pleasure Rule: Put a little in savings whenever you buy the stuff you’re trying to resist.
- Spend Less Rule: Set a budget. Come in under. Save the difference.
- Freelancer Rule: Set aside 30% for Tax Day every time you get paid.
- 52 Week Rule: Save $1 week 1, $2 week 2 and so on for 52 weeks.
- Apple Health Rule: Reward yourself for hitting fitness goals with Apple Health.
Rumor has it that later this year Qapital will be launching “Qapital Invest” to help users save for mid-term goals, such as a vacation or vehicle purchase. Qapital takes saving for the things you want and the goals you have to the next level. If you want to give it a try sign up here.
Save Money With Cash Back
There are a number of cash back opportunities that exist today. Here I will highlight a couple of my favorites.
SiftWallet gets you automatic refunds when prices drop. You link it to your credit card and it automatically monitors your purchases and gets you a refund if the price drops. I previously purchased some Calvin Klein Boxer Briefs. Soon after, I received a notice from SiftWallet that the price had dropped by $7.48. Soon after, I received a check in the mail for the difference. It was that simple!
Dosh Is a cash-back app that pays you for making purchases once you connect a debit or credit card.
iBotta is an app that gives you cash back on items that you have to buy in a store anyway. When you buy simply scan the barcode of the product and then send a photo of your receipt.
EBates is a well-established cash back program. I use the Ebates Chrome extension on a daily basis. When you are online the extension automatically detects websites where you can earn cash back and how much cash back you are able to earn. All you need to do is click on the button to activate the cash back.
HoneyApp The HoneyApp is an amazing app that allows you to instantly check for every promo code currently available whenever you shop online. The HoneyApp Chrome extension (also available as an extension on all other major browsers) instantly checks for any and all available promo and discount codes available. So now when you see the discount or promo box on that final screen just before you checkout. No longer do you have to leave that box blank or go back to Google to search for promo and discount codes for that particular retailer. Instead, Honey does that work for you by filling in the best any code available from anywhere online for that particular site. Also, since I suspect most of your online purchases are done online on Amazon the HoneyApp works on Amazon no problem! The HoneyApp was started when this guy was just trying to order a pizza online. Thank you, Ryan!
Note: In the past, I have noticed that EBates and HoneyApp don’t play nice with one another so it might be worth testing out both when you go to make a purchase to compare which one can get you the better deal!
Shopkick rewards you in the form of gift cards (just as good as cash) for actually going into a physical store. All you have to do is link a credit or debit card. So if you actually still need to visit a physical store to buy something last minute you can be rewarded for doing something as simple as scanning a barcode, or your receipt after making a purchase, or by mobile shopping using the Shopkick app.
Note: I recently tried this when I visited WalMart but was unable when I didn’t have a cell or wireless connection inside the store. So hopefully you have better luck in yours!
Drop: Is similar to Shopkick but works more passively in the background. When you first sign up for Drop you are prompted to select 5 brands where you already do a great deal of shopping. The downside I have noticed with Drop is that you are limited to only selecting 5 brands and it does not work for any and all brands where you shop. You also have to link your credit or debit card in order to earn gift cards and cash back for redemption.
Save Money By Selling Your Extra Stuff
We are all familiar with Craigslist. Craigslist has been and continues to be a free marketplace for anyone to buy something they need at a discount from someone else rather than from a store and it allows you to sell anything you don’t need. The average American has 300,000 things (just don’t touch our books) The unfortunate truth is that we are a consumer debt driven society where are default position is to buy and not simplify. There will come a time when debt takes over and a reset button will be forced on us but until that time we are overloaded with stuff. As we have become overloaded with stuff we have become more insular, stressed and anxious.
I am sure you can look around and see some of those 300,000 items as no longer having value and instead turn those items into some green for your pocket, savings and your investing future!
Facebook Marketplace recently came on the scene. It’s obvious advantage is it already has the traffic on the site. CNET goes over 5 primary reasons you should consider using Facebook Marketplace on Craigslist.
TheGoneApp is for anyone looking to buy or sell second-hand electronics. TheGoneApp gives you an instant offer and ships out a shipping box to you.
Gazelle works the same way as TheGoneApp. You input your product details and if you accept the instant offer Gazelle will ship you a box.
Decluttr works just like TheGoneApp and Gazelle but expands into categories such as CDs, DVDs, Games, and Books.
LetGo is very similar to Craigslist with a nice interface.
Offerup is very similar to Craigslist but focuses on your neighbors and community.
Poshmark is for clothes and apparel that you are looking to buy or sell second-hand.
When you want to save money it can seem overwhelming but it doesn't have to be. When you become intentional with your money saving becomes much more natural.
This post will be updated frequently as new saving opportunities emerge. Please let me know if you see any saving opportunities, not on the list below.
